What The Heart Wants.

The Dinner.

“Rayna, don’t you dare say no again.”

Guilia’s message popped up before I even reached the hostel gate.

Dinner tonight. My parents are dying to meet you. You’re my plus one.

I sighed. Guilia could be relentless. I got to my room but barely hit the bed before another message buzzed in.

And my cousin George is back from the States for sometime now. He will be joining us. Be ready by seven.

I frowned. George again. She’d mentioned him a hundred times.

It had already been a week since we went to the club and had gotten drunk. The regret caught up with me three days later. I had slept with a total stranger.

But definitely the time of your life, my inner voice chirped in and I ignored it.

I definitely did not want to go anywhere with Guilia until I felt better.

Still, I texted back, Fine. I’ll come.

Her reply came instantly:

Knew you wouldn’t disappoint me. Love you, girl!

I tossed my phone aside and groaned into my pillow. Fridays were brutal enough without dressing up for fancy dinners. But when it came to Guilia, saying no was never an option.

I closed my eyes for ‘just ten minutes’ then the door burst open.

“Why are you sleeping?” Guilia’s panicked voice filled the room. She threw her bag on the floor. “It’s five already! We still have to dress and do makeup.”

“Makeup?” I groaned, half-asleep. “It’s just dinner.”

She shot me a look. “Not when George is there.”

The way she said his name made me sit up. “Who exactly is this George?”

“You’ll see.” Her voice dropped, serious for once. “He’s different. Just… please don’t make a scene. My parents want everything perfect, Ray.”

She only called me Ray when something truly mattered.

“Relax,” I said softly. “I’ll be there for you.”

She grinned and tackled me on the bed, laughing as we both rolled over.

The next hour was chaos. Guilia rejected nearly every dress I owned until we finally found one of hers that fit. A black low V-line dress with net sleeves and a snug waist. It ended mid-thigh. Too short for me, too perfect for her approval.

“Oh my God, Rayna! You look amazing!” she squealed.

I tried to smile, ignoring how exposed I felt.

By the time we reached her house, my confidence had already begun to crack.

The mansion looked like something out of a movie. Towering gates and endless driveways. Guilia smirked at me as she saw the surprise on my face.

When we went inside, her parents welcomed us warmly.

“And you must be Rayna,” her mother said, hugging me gently.

Guilia whispered to me, “Dad doesn’t talk much.” As her father gave me a small smile, and I nodded politely.

Dinner started smoothly, the air filled with quiet laughter and the smell of roasted herbs.

Footsteps echoed from the staircase and a tall figure descended, head bowed over his phone. Even before she said his name, I knew.

George. Wait, I knew him from somewh…..

My heart stops in my chest as if they poured cold water over me. The man from the club. Oh my God….

Black shirt, sleeves rolled up, veins visible under pale skin. His steps were unhurried, confident, commanding.

My chest tightened. For one second, his eyes met mine and he does a double take. Disbelief evident on his face.

And I forget how to breathe.

He looked away first, his lips curling slightly as he greeted Guilia, “Hey, baby sis.”

They hugged, laughing like no time had passed.

“And oh, meet my best friend George. She’s Rayna……Rayna….I introduce George” Guilia said as he stretched his hands towards mine for a handshake. His eyes gleaming with amusement.

“I smile uncomfortably, taking his hands in mine and I’m immediately met with that same burning feeling I felt when he touched me.

I tried to focus on my plate, but my gaze kept drifting back to him. All the memories of that night came rushing in and I bent down my head in shyness.

But every time I looked, he was already watching me. It felt as though he could see straight through me. Guilia would not like this, I thought.

Mr. Woods’s calm voice broke the tension. “So, Rayna, tell us about yourself.”

Urg. I hated attention.

“Oh um, I’m Rayna Roberts. I moved here from Germany for college. That’s where I’ve lived all my life but my grandma still stays there.”

Mrs. Woods smiled. “That’s lovely, dear. And your parents?”

Guilia’s eyes widened. “Mom, maybe—”

“They’re dead,” I said quickly. The lie hit harder than I expected.

My parents were not dead in the sense of the word. But they were to me after trying to sell me off to a stranger back at home.

The table went silent. Forks stopped clinking.

“I’m so sorry, dear,” Mrs. Woods murmured, looking horrified.

I reached for my wine glass, but my hand trembled and the glass tipped. Red spilled across the tablecloth, running dangerously close to George’s plate.

Guilia gasped and I froze.

Everyone looked at him as his eyes settled on me.

George didn’t move. His eyes were unreadable. It was sharp, cold, yet somehow amused.

For a heartbeat, he just stared at me. Then that faint, knowing smirk curved his lips.

“You should calm down.” He says.

I don’t reply but the air thickened. My pulse drummed in my ears.

Dinner went on, but I barely heard a word. My mind flashed back to when I gripped his back, moaning as he slammed into me over and over that night. I shook my head, wiping away the thought. But every time I thought I could breathe again, I felt his eyes on me, patient, assessing, dangerous.

And that night, I realized something I wasn’t ready to face.

George wasn’t just Guilia’s cousin.

He was trouble wrapped in mystery. I had unknowingly played into his court and he had just decided I was his next game.